6For thus said the LORD of Hosts: In just a little while longer I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land; 7I will shake all the nations. And the precious things of all the nations shall come [here], and I will fill this House with glory, said the LORD of Hosts. 8Silver is Mine and gold is Mine—says the LORD of Hosts. 9The glory of this latter House shall be greater than that of the former one, said the LORD of Hosts; and in this place I will grant prosperity—declares the LORD of Hosts.
10On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth [month], in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai:
11Thus said the LORD of Hosts: Seek a ruling from the priests, as follows: 12If a man is carrying sacrificial flesh in a fold of his garment, and with that fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, will the latter become holy? In reply, the priests said, “No.” 13Haggai went on, “If someone defiled by a corpse touches any of these, will it be defiled?” And the priests responded, “Yes.”
14Thereupon Haggai said: That is how this people and that is how this nation looks to Me—declares the LORD—and so, too, the work of their hands: Whatever they offer there is defiled. 15And now take thought, from this day backward:a As long as no stone had been laid on another in the House of the LORD, 16if one came to a heap of twenty measures,b it would yield only ten; and if one came to a wine vat to skim off fifty measures, the press would yield only twenty. 17I struck you—all the works of your hands—with blight and mildew and hail, but c-you did not return-c to Me—declares the LORD. 18Take note, from this day forward— from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day when the foundation was laid for the LORD’s Temple—take note 19while the seed is still in the granary, and the vine, fig tree, pomegranate, and olive tree have not yet borne fruit. For from this day on I will send blessings.
20And the word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21Speak to Zerubbabel the governor of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22And I will overturn the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the might of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their drivers. Horses and their riders shall fall, each by the sword of his fellow. 23On that day—declares the LORD of Hosts—I will take you, O My servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel—declares the LORD—and make you as a signet;d for I have chosen you—declares the LORD of Hosts.
a-a Lit. “It is not time for the coming of the time.”
b Vv. 7–8 would read well after v. 11.
c-c Emendation yields “glorify it”; see 2.7–9.
d Meaning, perhaps, cast a curse on.
a Or “forward.”
b I.e., of grain.
c-c Lit. “there was not with you to Me”; cf. Amos 4.9.
d I.e., bring you close to Me; contrast Jer. 22.24–30.
Zechariah
1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, this word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo:a 2The LORD was very angry with your fathers. 3Say to them further:
Thus said the LORD of Hosts: Turn back to me—says the LORD of Hosts—and I will turn back to you—said the LORD of Hosts. 4Do not be like your fathers! For when the earlier prophets called to them, “Thus said the LORD of Hosts: Come, turn back from your evil ways and your evil deeds, they did not obey or give heed to Me—declares the LORD. 5Where are your fathers now? And did the prophets live forever? 6But the warnings and the decrees with which I charged My servants the prophets overtook your fathers—did they not?— and in the end they had to admit, ‘The LORD has dealt with us according to our ways and our deeds, just as He purposed.’ ”
7On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of the second year of Darius—the month of Shebat—this word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo:
8In the night, I had a vision. I saw a man, mounted on a bay horse, standing b-among the myrtles-b in the Deep, and behind him were bay,c sorrel,d and white horses. 9I asked, “What are those, my lord?” And the angel who talked with me answered, “I will let you know what they are.” 10Then the man who was standing b-among the myrtles-b spoke up and said, “These were sent out by the LORD to roam the earth.”
11And in fact, they reported to the angel of the LORD who was standing b-among the myrtles,-b “We have roamed the earth, and have found all the earth dwelling in tranquility.”e 12Thereupon the angel of the LORD exclaimed, “O LORD of Hosts! How long will You withhold pardon from Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, which You placed under a curse seventy years ago?”
13The LORD replied with kind, comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
14Then the angel who talked with me said to me: “Proclaim! Thus said the LORD of Hosts: I am very jealous for Jerusalem—for Zion—15and I am very angry with those nations that are at ease; for I was only angry a little, but they overdid the punishment. 16Assuredly, thus said the LORD: I graciously return to Jerusalem. My House shall be built in her—declares the LORD of Hosts—the measuring line is being applied to Jerusalem. 17Proclaim further: Thus said the LORD of Hosts: My towns shall yet overflow with bounty. For the LORD will again comfort Zion; He will choose Jerusalem again.”
2 I looked up, and I saw four horns.a 2I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are those?” “Those,” he replied, “are the horns that tossed Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”a 3Then the LORD showed me four smiths. 4“What are they coming to do?” I asked. He replied: “Those are the horns that tossed Judah, so that no man could raise his head; and these men have come b-to throw them into a panic,-b to c-hew down-c the horns of the nations that raise a horn against the land of Judah, to toss it.”
5I looked up, and I saw a man holding a measuring line. 6“Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “to see how long and wide it is to be.” 7But the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him. 8The former said to him, “Run to that young man and tell him:
“Jerusalem shall be peopled as a city without walls, so many shall be the men and cattle it contains. 9And I Myself—declares the LORD—will be a wall of fire all around it, and I will be a glory inside it.
10“Away, away! Flee from the land of the north—says the LORD— though I swept you [there] like the four winds of heaven—declares the LORD.”
11Away, escape, O Zion, you who dwell in Fair Babylon! 12For thus said the LORD of Hosts—He d-who sent me after glory-d—concerning the nations that have taken you as spoil: “Whoever touches you touches the pupil of e-his own-e eye. 13For I will lift My hand against them, and they shall be spoil for those they enslaved.”— Then you shall know that I was sent by the LORD of Hosts.
14Shout for joy, Fair Zion! For lo, I come; and I will dwell in your midst—declares the LORD. 15In that day many nations will attach themselves to the LORD and become Hisf people, and Heg will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that I was sent to you by the LORD of Hosts.
16The LORD will h- take Judah to Himself as His portion-h in the Holy Land, and He will choose Jerusalem once more.
17Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD!
For He is roused from His holy habitation.
3 He further showed me Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the LORD, and the Accusera standing at his right to accuse him. 2But [the angel of] the LORD said to the Accuser, “The LORD rebuke you, O Accuser; may the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! For this is a brand plucked from the fire.”b 3Now Joshua was clothed in filthy garments when he stood before the angel. 4The latter spoke up and said to his attendants, “Take the filthy garments off him!” And he said to him, “See, I have removed your guilt from you, and you shall be clothed in [priestly] robes.” 5Then hec gave the order, “Let a pured diadem be placed on his head.” And they placed the pure diadem on his head and clothed him in [priestly] garments,e as the angel of the LORD stood by.
6And the angel of the LORD charged Joshua as
